Spay

Re "Spay Day Event," letters, Feb. 21. The Humane Society of Ventura County considers every day spay and neuter day. We require every animal that leaves our shelter to be altered. In addition, we work tirelessly to inform the public about the need to alter pets through our humane education classes in schools, press releases, during public presentations and through the work of our humane officers in the field. It would be pointless to schedule an "event" for this day because our clinic is already full every day. So instead, I sent a press release regarding the benefits of spay and neuter programs to several media outlets in Ventura County.

Scarlet, Deakin, Fudge, Nugget and Shyla are in the prime of life and pretty good-looking to boot, but their puppy-making days ended for good Tuesday in the back of a big blue van in Sylmar. Nine dogs and a cat named Smokey marched up the stairs of the Lucy Pet Foundation's mobile spay and neuter clinic, unaware of what they were in for in the parking lot of Pet Supreme. Lucy, the Chihuahua whose picture is on the side of the bus, stood by for moral support. And here's the story: Actor Dick Van Patten, a guest on "The John Davidson Show" in 1981, struck up a conversation with the drummer in the show's band.

After several recent, highly publicized pit bull attacks on people in Southern California, two of which were fatal, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously passed legislation requiring all pit bulls in the unincorporated areas of the county to be sterilized. The ordinance applies to pit bulls older than 4 months. Dogs owned by licensed breeders, canines used by law enforcement and therapy dogs are among the animals exempted. The supervisors said they acted out of concern for public safety - a Riverside County woman was hospitalized after being attacked by two pit bulls in August - and because so many pit bulls languish unadopted in the county's public shelters.

Re "Shelter Short of Time," Nov. 8: How sad that county agencies such as the Orange County Animal Shelter now must expend what little resources they have to spay and neuter animals because pet owners won't take responsibility for their animals. There is an abundance of low-cost spay/neuter/shot clinics all over Southern California, so cost of care is not a legitimate excuse for owners. I'd rather see the county shelter spend its time and resources on better screening of potential owners and the development of educational resources for people considering adopting a pet. COLLEEN NELSON Santa Ana

It was with great disappointment that I learned of the dismissal of the L.A. Animal Services Department general manager, Dan Knapp (Oct. 25). Since Knapp's appointment three years ago the city has seen a marked improvement in adoption and rescue policies and an increase in the number of homeless animals that have been saved. Knapp facilitated the city's first mobile spay-neuter clinic and established free vaccination clinics, free and low-cost spay and neuter programs and free training seminars for pet guardians.

Although the problem of pet overpopulation is national, solutions have to be found at the local level. In October, which is National Adopt-a-Dog Month, the Spay / Neuter Animal Network will introduce its Project 50 / 50. It will, at no cost to the owners, spay 50 dogs weighing 50 pounds or more. These are the dogs that produce very large litters, which so often end up in pounds or shelters. The program is intended to reach financially challenged dog owners. To offer support, to apply for help under Project 50 / 50 or to obtain more information, call 641-1170.

Regarding "To the Rescue," June 15, about the puppy airlift from the Turks and Caicos: Let's look at the math. Save one puppy? Or spay and neuter their parents, so they can't produce another litter, which then multiplies exponentially, because they aren't spayed or neutered? Which is cheaper? Which saves more puppies from being killed? If the Turks and Caicos really want to be a no-kill community, the people need to focus on spay and neuter programs. Julie Dole Santa Monica

Re "Pet Overpopulation Crisis Makes Low-Cost Clinics a Necessity," Dec. 6. We are all in agreement that low-cost spay / neuter programs will help eliminate the pet overpopulation crisis in Ventura County. The disagreement seems to be in how to get there. The Humane Society in Ojai believes that it must spend $400,000 to build a new facility in order to double the number of surgeries performed from 12 to 24 per day. If lack of recuperation space is the problem, why not use trailers placed in permanent positions on Humane Society property?

America's shelters euthanized an estimated 3 million to 4 million animals last year. Most had been lost, abandoned or otherwise unwanted. But animal rights experts say it doesn't have to be that way, and people looking to help don't necessarily have to adopt a pet or even write a check to make a difference. One of the most powerful tools out there? Social media. Using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even Pinterest can help animal rights organizations, rescues and municipal shelters spread the word about critters available for adoption.

The speakers became emotional as they stood before the Riverside County supervisors, telling them about their encounters - both positive and negative - with pit bulls. One woman talked about Louie, her beloved pit bull she dresses up each Halloween. Another sobbed as she tried to talk about her pit bulls, who compete in shows. But as county officials weighed an ordinance that would mandate the sterilization of pit bulls, they also heard from a Beaumont city councilwoman who had tried to stop a pit bull attack and could not forget the smell of blood that lingered.

America's shelters euthanized an estimated 3 million to 4 million animals last year. Most had been lost, abandoned or otherwise unwanted. But animal rights experts say it doesn't have to be that way, and people looking to help don't necessarily have to adopt a pet or even write a check to make a difference. One of the most powerful tools out there? Social media. Using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even Pinterest can help animal rights organizations, rescues and municipal shelters spread the word about critters available for adoption.

No one is quite sure when the rabbits came. Lore has it that the bunny population at Long Beach City College boomed when the nearby airport broke ground decades ago, causing a population of jackrabbits to relocate to the campus grounds. Two years ago, the population — now mainly abandoned pets — peaked, and more than 300 rabbits competed for food, space and mates on 112 acres. New castaways were attacked by territorial rabbits. Predators found the domesticated rabbits easy prey.

In addition to addressing the state's $25-billion deficit this year, the Legislature is making time for some other less pressing matters: Caffeinated beer. Spaceships. How to properly describe a dog pound. Proposals on those subjects are among the 2,323 bills lawmakers have introduced this year. Others would revise the definition of olive oil and regulate the reflectivity of pavement to help curb global warming. There's a measure to create a "Parks Make Life Better" month. "Spay Day," a bid to encourage the spaying and neutering of pets, has already received two legislative analyses and one committee vote (it passed)

After a rash of deadly pit bull attacks throughout the Inland Empire, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors approved a measure Tuesday requiring all pit bull owners to spay or neuter their animals or face fines. In the last five years, pit bull attacks have killed four people in the county, including a 2-year-old San Bernardino boy who was mauled in May by one of the family's two pit bulls — named Taliban — and a 3-year-old Apple Valley boy who died after a similar attack in January.

Re "Cities act to ban cat declawing," Nov. 7 The Times' article on the declawing of cats left me shaking my head in disbelief. As a veterinarian with more than 50 years in pet practice, I have performed this procedure on hundreds of cats without ever, as Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz put it, "leaving a cat crippled and in pain for the rest of its life." Whenever I was asked to perform this procedure by concerned owners, I always thought of it as a lifesaving act. Owners do not casually bring in their pets for declawing.

Re: "Political Briefing: Department Departure," May 9. Thank you for your compassionate and fair handling of the pending reassignment of Los Angeles Animal Services head Gary Olsen. It is easy for everyone who has ever done a few animal adoptions or rescued some strays to think they have all the answers to running a shelter system. All of us who love animals and especially those involved in any organized effort to curb overpopulation and decrease euthanasia rates want to see major innovations--yesterday.

Have you seen the billboards around town that say "Protect Your Right to Own a Pet"? They show a child hugging a puppy and provide a website, exposeanimalrights.com, flanked by international "no" symbols (a circle with a slash though it) containing the initials PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and HSUS (Humane Society of the United States). When I first passed one a couple of weeks ago, I was confused.

Four members of the Los Angeles City Council introduced a motion Friday ordering the city Department of Animal Services to reinstate a voucher program that allows low-income pet owners to spay and neuter their animals free. "Canceling the voucher program was . . . a step backward in trying to reach a no-kill policy in this city," said Councilman Tony Cardenas. He and fellow councilmen Richard Alarcon, Eric Garcetti and Dennis Zine presented the motion. Cardenas and Alarcon also co-wrote the 2008 ordinance mandating that most pets in the city be sterilized.